


A Heart to Heart

by Medli45



Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 3 - Fandom, Kingdom Hearts III - Fandom
Genre: Bittersweet, Gen, How Do I Tag, I Tried, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's mainly about Sora meeting and chatting with Noctis ok, The Final World, bonding over their love for their friends!!, fic art included, headcanons galore, if kh never brings up Zack again I will, in the kingdom hearts manner of speaking, it's minor though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22369705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Medli45/pseuds/Medli45
Summary: In his time spent in The Final World, Sora met some people. Many were hearts dwelling in the in-between, some with memories so strong they boiled over. Sora did what he could to mend some of those hurts. But one still retained his human shape, like Sora. He was a King from another world, and he just wanted to talk...and fish?? (Sora meets Noctis after the end of Final Fantasy 15. Also contains mentions of other Final Fantasy characters and headcanons about them.)
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 118





	A Heart to Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This was all very self indulgent and stuff, and I haven’t written fic in...years. This was surprisingly fun to write! Overall this is in anticipation for Re:mind tomorrow too! But I hope y’all like it~ Oh, it does contain some KH3 spoilers....just saying. Also I drew art! It's in the fic too but [here's a link.](https://breezy-cheezy.tumblr.com/post/190415078933/hey-yall-im-really-excited-for-remind-over)

Sora wandered the plane between life and death...if he was understanding Chirithy correctly on where this really was, anyway. There are others here, he can tell, but their situations all seem different than his. They take the forms of glittering stars, similar to the hearts he’d seen, but...different as well. If he approached, and paid enough attention, it was like he could ...not really hear, but feel impressions of the lives these hearts had lived before coming to dwell here. 

Some gave off feelings of loss and regret, wanting to rewrite painful mistakes but not knowing how. They were unable to go back, and yet refused to move forward. So they stayed here.

Some rang with joy or longing, waiting or soon to be reunited with loved ones. One in particular brought up a fuzzy, strangely familiar...what he could only assume was a memory, of a scarred man wearing a dark jacket, with red wings stitched on the back. Sora smiled a little, offering a gentle reassurance that the man was doing well. Warmth grew over his brief bond with that heart, and Sora’s smile grew.

Some radiated so much anguish and pain- _dark rain, blood, betrayal, a sea of keyblades like the graveyard he’d just visited, but fresh, a hand reaching out_ \-- he couldn’t bring himself to stay long with them. 

One’s mental voice carried clearer than the others. Sora recognized her pretty quickly: Namine. She hadn’t been here long...and she promised to reach out to someone, to help Sora and his friends. He thanked her, and had the feeling he’d be seeing her soon, one way or another.

And some encounters were almost...overwhelming. He would see images of what seemed like moments before these people’s deaths, and they were hard to piece together. He tried to avoid those all together, but sometimes he couldn’t help it. Like these two hearts here, huddled together...if hearts could huddle. 

One gave off very conflicting emotions, very angry and very sorrowful, back and forth. Blurry images of monsters, machinery and blood came forth, along with a boy probably barely older than him, slumped over a blade piercing his middle. Sora gasped at the anguish and guilt coming from that memory-didn’t he recognize??-and all the pain, the memories full of falling then becoming green _green so much green flooding everything so much_ **_pain_ **\--

The heart beside this one thrummed in what seemed a comforting manner, and the first heart’s memories settled down, fading in intensity from Sora’s mind. He reached for them, and the second one gave the impression of-- smiling? A distant memory, as if from childhood, rose in his mind; of a cheerful young man with dark wild hair and even wilder aspirations of being a hero. Did...did Sora know this person? Maybe...one of the occupants in his heart did, once. He wasn’t sure.

The heart gave the impression of gesturing to his companion. As if claiming responsibility and...protectiveness? A friend then. After, Sora received some memories of a young woman tending some flowers, smiling and wearing pink ribbons in her hair. Of that boy from before, now leaning against a wall, expression slack and almost lifeless, his eyes glowing an eerie green color. Then feelings of worry and concern; a question. 

“Aerith and Cloud…? Were you their friend?” Sora asked, and both hearts brightened in response, although the second one felt more in excitement, while the first...hope? Sora smiled reassuringly. “They’re ok. They’re my friends too!”

After telling the two hearts a little more about how their living friends were doing, Sora felt it was time to move on. He offered to tell Aerith and Cloud about meeting them, but only the second one offered his name to help. A memory popped into his head of a hand hurriedly scribbling in a name on the top of a report. Sora nodded in understanding.

“I’ll tell them Zack and another friend say hi, and that you miss them and wanted to make sure they were ok.” He said, and with that, he turned away. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a very tall man with long silver hair, his shoulders hunched with incredible guilt. And of another man -that same one from his strange childhood memory that wasn’t fully his, _Zack_ , but older now- grinning and patting the first man on the back comfortingly. But when Sora turned back to really look, they were both gone. 

Sora sighed. It was good to meet friends of friends, but this one in particular left him largely confused...and a little sad. He moved on. 

On and on he searched, looking for those missing fragments of himself so he could return to his friends. He continued to brush against other wayward hearts, all of which had their own reasons for dwelling in this realm of in between. It was disorienting, really; this world seemed to continue on and on forever, emptiness spanning in all directions. Even with all the hearts he communicated with, and with the personal fragments he managed to find, it all just felt...empty. Lonely. 

Sora wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay here. He missed his friends. Were they doing ok? Were they even alive anymore…? He thought of Kairi being swept up in the tower of darkness. Of Donald, falling to the ground after his incredible display of power. Riku, his back to Sora, the last person standing up to the darkness while all he could do was kneel there and _cry_ \--

Was there even anything left…?

Sora was shaken out of his thoughts when he finally spotted something different amongst all the white and blue. Another fragment, maybe…? No…

Upon approach, he saw what seemed to be the back of a person dressed in black and gold clothing, sitting down on the reflective ground plane. Not like the ones he’d caught glimpses of in his mind’s eye. Still a little see-through, this one still seemed more...real. More like himself. His steps grew faster. 

“Hey! My name’s Sora! What’s your name?” he called out. The figure jolted in surprise, turning to face him. He looked...tired. Lost, almost. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Sora.

“Hey! So I’m not the only one here, huh?” The man asked; the corners of his mouth twitched upward. Getting closer, Sora realized the man was holding a...rod of some sort. He appeared to be...was he _fishing?_ _Here??_ What would anyone even catch in a world like this?? Sure, the ground was like water and solid at the same time but--

“Uuuh, what?” Sora tore his eyes from the fishing rod. “No. I just met with a whole bunch of other hearts around here. Oh, and a little cat thing,” Sora scratched his head, gathering his thoughts. “I think his name was Chirithy. You’re the first you I’ve met, though!”

The man looked surprised, then chuckled quietly. “Huh...back at you?” He said in a questioning tone, standing up. His dark clothing flowed about him in an almost regal manner, conflicting with the normalcy of the fishing pole. Dark hair hung about his face, almost unkempt but not quite; similar to Riku’s hair when it got long, really. He smiled easily, eyes sparkling with warmth. But the lines in his face suggested hardships beyond his years, which reminded Sora alarmingly of Aqua soon after they’d rescued her not long ago. 

“My name’s Noctis.” he said, flicking his wrist and dismissing the fishing pole in a scatter of sparks, _like a keyblade_ , Sora realized, baffled. Noctis held out his hand. “You can call me Noct.”

*****

They spent some time, just sitting together and talking. It was hard to tell the passage of time in this world, if it even passed at all. It still felt like it had been awhile since Sora had been able to talk, _really talk_ to anyone. It felt nice.

Apparently, Noctis was a king in his world. It was a surprise, since Noct was a pretty casual guy, even more than Mickey; not super kingly at all really...but what did he know.

Sora talked carefully, trying to cover the World Order thing, but it turned out to be unnecessary. In some of his stories of road trips and “daemons”, Noct talked about other-wordly visitors he’d run across with his friends, like Y'jhimei and her giant Chocobo friend...whatever a chocobo was. They sounded cool. About being separated from his friends and dropped into the "Terra" world, and learning to work with Sarah. Sora enjoyed those stories; they reminded him of his own adventures. It was also a relief to not have to “maintain the World Order” here; Donald always got all bent out of shape about that.

….Donald….

Sora talked about his friends. Destiny Islands. About their adventures, about the battles that he’d been facing. About the Organization, Xehanort, the darkness. How he couldn’t get back to them, but that he possibly could, with some work.

“So you need to get back to your friends, huh? I get that…” 

“Yeah...yeah. Things were getting pretty bad. I gotta make it right.” Sora tried not to think about how there might not be anything to “make right” when he got back….if...he got back. “Do you have anyone you wanna get back to?"

Noct gazed up at the endless sky and sighed. “Yeah. Some on...both sides. I think I did everything I could for my friends back in my world though.” He looked down and rubbed a bit at his chest, smiling ruefully. “It’s...time for me to move on, I guess.”

Sora frowned at the gesture. “....You still miss them though, huh?” 

“What? Of course.” Noctis lowered his hands back to his lap. “If...if I had the chance, I’d like to see them again. Don’t think I’ll get to though...if I’m here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK. It was...predestined, and all that.” Noct’s expression turned wry, and Sora winced. Destinies. Yeah, those weren’t as fun as they seem at first. He would know. 

Beside them, a soft presence came to Sora’s notice. Noct turned to look as well, and he grinned brightly. 

“And I do have some people waiting for me here too.” he said, his eyes looking a little damp. They both stood up. 

Sora squinted, and he could just barely make out the figure of a smiling woman in a white dress, pale blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. Behind her, even fainter...a man? He reminded Sora of Noct, but...older. Taller. It was hard to make out the details, but to his heart, they felt kind. Welcoming, even.

“Are you going with them?” Sora asked quietly. 

“Yeah.” Noct patted Sora on the shoulder, then held it in a firm grip. “And you’ll find a way back to your own friends. Looks like you’re already working on it. That’s good.”

Sora glanced down at himself, how the color was returning to his figure after gathering up some fragments of himself. Noct’s own color seemed to be slowly leeching away. 

“Aha, yeah…” Sora laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just hope there’s a world for me to return to...things weren’t going so well at the end there.” Not well at all. He tried not to think about it too much. 

Noct patted him hard on the back. Sora yelped a little, looking up, and Noct returned to gripping his shoulder, shaking him a little. 

“Hey, you never know unless you try, right?” he asked, smiling reassuringly. “Believe in your friends; if they’re as awesome as you said, I bet they’re already waiting for you to get back; prepared and ready to fight by your side again.” His smile turned a little wistful. “My friends...they were there for me.”

Sora couldn’t help but smile at that. “They really sound amazing, Noct.”

He nodded. “They’re the best. Oh-” Then Noct blinked, as if remembering something. He stooped a little and dug through his pockets, looking for something. He came up again in triumph, holding a closed hand out to Sora. “Here, take these. They’ll probably help.”

Sora held out his hands, and felt some small, cool objects drop into them. He looked down at what looked like a keychain with a stylized skull attached at the end. Next to it was a little, smooth statuette of a strange green creature with a red horn on its forehead. Sora felt power faintly emanating from these items. 

“Wow, thanks! Are you sure you want to give these to me?” he asked, looking up. They seemed...important somehow. 

Noct nodded, pulling a small photo out of his breast pocket. He held it carefully, glancing fondly at whatever it depicted. “Yeah. Where I’m going, I think this is all I’ll need. Plus…” he tucked the photo away, seeming satisfied it was in good condition. “I wanted to ask a favor.”

Sora cocked his head. “Yeah?”

“If...if you ever find yourself in Insomnia, in my world, would you...check on my friends for me? Please? Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, those three especially...tell them that I miss them and wish the best for them. That I never would have survived that...that _road trip from hell_ without them.” Noct was still smiling, a tear running down his face, then another. “A-and tell them that I’m...happy. I’m okay with...with what happened. It’s all okay.”

Sora smiled back, committing the names and messages to memory. “Yeah, Noct. I can do that.” Another reason to return from this world.

“Thank you.” Noct sighed, letting his hand fall from Sora’s shoulder. Almost all color had drained out of him by now, leaving him looking crystalline and blue like Sora looked when he first got here. Little lights were coming off him, as if he were disintegrating. Fading. He turned toward the other figures who were waiting for him, and stepped forward. But then he stopped.

“Oh, and Sora?” he called over his shoulder.

Sora blinked. “Yeah?”

“Whatever happens, if you trust in your friends...it’ll be ok.” he stated, firm and serious and every bit the king he said he was. Sora grinned, hope continuing to bloom in his chest.

“Thank you, Noct. Really. It was great to meet you.” Sora replied, bowing slightly. 

Noctis bowed back. “You too, Sora.” He then turned and took the woman’s hand in his own. The man threw his arm around his shoulders, and Noct laughed a little at that, wrapping his other arm around the man’s waist in familiarity. 

Just before he faded completely away to the Beyond, Noct looked at Sora one last time. 

“Walk tall...my friend.” 

And then...Noctis was gone. 

Sora stared for a little while at where those figures had stood. He sighed and slipped the gifts into his pocket, then blinked when his fingers brushed on something new. He pulled it out, and found what looked like a silver necklace with a little crescent moon ornament on it. When he wondered when and how it got there, a flash of the woman who came for Noct came into his mind, with only two words.

_Protect them._

Sora smiled in gratitude at the new gift. He wrapped the necklace around his wrist and clipped it there. A light, comforting feeling washed over him.

“Walk tall, huh?” Sora mused, squaring up his shoulders and starting towards his next destination. He feels strengthened. Ready. More steady than he’d felt in awhile. 

“I can do that.”

END

**Author's Note:**

> And there we go! 
> 
> In my mind, the keychain is for Sora’s keyblade, and it’ll turn into an Engine Blade version of a keyblade of sorts! The Carbuncle statuette is a summon item, for Carbuncle, POSSIBLY Noct on rare occasion? Like a Messenger thing?? Idk. And Luna’s necklace is an accessory that probably gives a HUGE boost in magical/physical defense or something. One those awesome ones. She’s also probably a Princess of Heart of some sort, haha. Sora would put the necklace on normally, but I thought it’d be weird to wear it with his crown one, they’d clink around! Necklace-bracelet it is. 
> 
> I referenced some other Final Fantasies in here, because I mean...I could. Along with lots of my own headcanons, since how the KH-verse crosses over with Final Fantasy ones...a lot of details are unsaid! So along with Namine (which was a canon encounter, but sadly missable) Sora also met Rinoa from FF8, who is Squall/Leon’s girlfriend/lover/wife here. Bottom line, she loves Leon, wanted to see if he was ok. I assumed she’d passed away because of the symbolic wings on his jacket and not seeing her at all in KH.  
> Then another reference to like...any character from KH Chi (the mobile game) since I do think that story is sad and hinting at the origin of the Keyblade Graveyard seemed significant! 
> 
> Thennn Sephiroth and Zack. KH please mention Zack again. Please. I will. Personally I’d like for him to NOT be dead but I wanted him here so…! And hey, hearts return sometimes, so maybe!! ANd my own personal headcanons for Sephiroth’s death and apparent villainy mashed into KH...in this fic, what Cloud is chasing around in KH is essentially Seph’s Nobody, being piloted ruthlessly by Jenova. Kindaaaa like Norting, but...geostigma. Idk. Seph hates it, and Zack is doing what he can to be a good friend :’>
> 
> MIGHT write Sora (and company?) meeting the Chocobros someday? I don’t have any solid ideas though so *shrug* Any ideas for that are welcome though! No guarantees ^^;;;;


End file.
